Three takeaways on the Mariners after a disastrous loss to the Angels

This was pretty much a disaster Thursday for the Mariners in a 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels at Safeco Field.

First, they saw their emerging ace, left-hander James Paxton, exit the game in the seventh inning because of a strained left pectoral muscle. Contemplating the Mariners’ rotation without Paxton is beyond sobering.

"It was probably the last three pitches," he said. "I thought it was just a little cramp, and I’d be able to shake it out. But it just kept on (cramping)…There was no pop or anything like that. It was just a cramp feeling."

Then after the Mariners wiped out a three-run deficit in the eighth inning with homers by Jean Segura and Nelson Cruz, they called on closer Edwin Diaz for the fifth time in six games.

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Diaz walked the bases loaded before giving up a three-run double to Mike Trout. A possible comeback victory turned into a crushing loss.

"Everything was there for us," Diaz said, "and I couldn’t make my pitches. I walked the first two guys. Then I got two outs (before issuing another walk). I made my pitch to Trout, and he hit the ball on the line. It cost us three runs."

And the ballgame.

The loss dropped the Mariners (59-57) into a tie with Tampa Bay in the race for the American League’s final wild-card spot. Minnesota is one-half game behind. Kansas City and the Angels are one game back. Baltimore is 1 1/2 games back.

That Diaz had a hiccup was disappointing, but any injury to Paxton would be a devastating blow to a rotation already thinned by injuries and poor performance.

Servais indicated prior to the game a need to rely increasingly on the club’s bullpen to compensate for a struggling rotation.

Now this.

Plans call for Paxton to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam Friday to determine the severity of the strain, but the recovery period for even minor-to-moderate cases often is measured in weeks.

"Right now, as I’m standing here, I don’t feel anything," he said afterward. "It’s just when I try to strengthen that muscle, it’s a little sore. We’ll get it checked out (Friday) and, hopefully, it’s nothing serious. I’m hoping not to miss any time."

Paxton’s injury-filled past is hardly reassuring. He missed nearly all of May because of a strained forearm muscle and has never made more the 20 starts in any of his four big-league seasons.

"We’ll know more on that (Friday)," manager Scott Servais said. "But it hurts. He’s been our guy. He’s been awesome. I don’t want to get too far ahead of it. Hopefully, fingers crossed, he isn’t going to miss too much time."

That Diaz had a hiccup was disappointing, but any injury to Paxton would be a devastating blow to a rotation already thinned by injuries and poor performance.

Servais indicated prior to the game a need to rely increasingly on the club’s bullpen to compensate for a struggling rotation.

Now this.

"I’m hoping that I wake up (Friday), and it feels fine," Paxton said. "I just don’t know. We’ll just have to reevaluate (Friday) and see what happens."

Three takeaways from Thursday’s victory:

***Skunked by Skaggs: The Mariners looked helpless against Angels lefty Tyler Skaggs, who pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings in his second start since returning from a three-month stay on the disabled list for a strained oblique muscle.

Guillermo Heredia was the only Mariner who solved Skaggs by getting two doubles and a walk in his three plate appearances. Heredia’s one-out double in the seventh knocked Skaggs out of the game.

The rest of the Mariners were a combined 3-for-19.

***Infection spreads: The long-ball virus that is plaguing the Mariners’ rotation infected Paxton before the injury forced his departure. He gave up homers in the second inning to C.J. Cron and in the fourth inning to Andrelton Simmons.

Neither was a cheapie.

"I made some mistakes," Paxton said, "and they made me pay with the home runs. I just threw some pitches in bad spots. They did what they’re supposed to do with those mistakes."

Paxton had not allowed a homer over his previous seven starts. He had not allowed more than one homer in a game since June 1, 2016 at San Diego.

***Simmons sparkles: Quick now, who has the highest WAR (wins above replacement) rating on the Angels? (Hint: It’s not Trout.)

Shortstop Andrelton Simmons has the second-highest WAR rating in the American League behind Houston second baseman Jose Altuve — and the 35,021 at Safeco Field got to see why.

Simmons tomahawked a two-run homer in the fourth inning against Paxton, which expanded a one-run lead to 3-0. Simmons then started a flashy double play in the fifth inning with a glove flip to second baseman Kaleb Cowart.

The defensive gem was no surprise. Simmons is a well-established defensive stalwart. But he is tracking this season for career highs in all three slash categories: batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

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